Munro brought his still-growing “Toothpick City” to Maker Faire New York this past weekend, and captivated the crowd with his extremely detailed creations. While Munro, who is from Syracuse, NY, makes architectural replicas of structures from around the world (do you recognize Toothpick Burj Khalifa and Toothpick Eiffel Tower?), many of his works are based on famous Big Apple buildings. He recently finished a crazy replica of the new Yankee stadium and even filled it with tiny toothpick “fans.”

You might be wondering how one might pick up toothpicking as a full-time job. While it began as a childhood hobby, toothpicking stayed with Stan ever since 5th grade, and became something more about 10 years ago when his wife Suzi was stricken with Polycystic Kidney-Liver Disease (PKLD). Stan had held many types of positions before, but he knew that he needed to be home for his wife, so he began working on and promoting his toothpick art. In 2006, he sold his very first Toothpick City to a Spanish museum and was able to support himself and his wife, who finally started getting better after receiving a double-transplant at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida in 2011. “He signs all his buildings:’ I Luv Suzi’,” explains Suzi, “and I think it’s cute…”

We congratulate Stan and Suzi for making it through some really rough times, and think they are a wonderful example of how something horrible and negative can be channeled into something wondrous and truly inspiring.